Data Storage Devices (DSDs) are often used to record data onto or to reproduce data from a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) media. Some DSDs include multiple types of NVM media. For example, in the case of a Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD), a solid state NVM media such as a flash memory is used for storing data in addition to a second type of NVM media such as a rotating magnetic disk.
In many systems, a host will communicate with a DSD to store data in the DSD or to access data from the DSD. Such systems can include, for example, a computer system or other electronic device. When a host sends a command to store data in a DSD including both solid state NVM media and disk NVM media (i.e., a SSHD), the host may also provide hinting as to a priority of the data. A subsystem for the solid state NVM media may use this hinting to determine whether to store the data in the solid state NVM media. Although such hinting from a host can improve performance of the DSD, use of such hinting is generally limited to the subsystem for the solid state NVM media.